Adding a few twists to the classic
vertically scrolling shooter genre, Castle of Shikigami III brings solid,
arcade-style shooting action to the Wii. With ten unique characters,
there's plenty of variety in attack styles, along with challenging
gameplay modes. Players can choose to battle the foes alone or in
co-operative mode, and play in boss attack and dramatic battle modes as
well. The game's unique Tension Bonus system which allows you to build up
extra shooting power and score multipliers adds a strategic element to the
gameplay. Shikigami's fluid controls allow for screen-filling bullet
battles and epic boss battles to create a solidly entertaining title that
should please fans of the genre.

While first impressions might lead you to believe that Castle of Shikigami
III is a mindless throwback to the 16-bit era of shooters, there are a
number of key elements in the game's mechanics and style that make its
gameplay feel fresh and unique. Instead of fighting as a generic space
ship, you instead select from one of ten unique characters, each of which
has their own backstory and scenario to play through. In addition, they
also bring specific attacks to the table, and have two secondary weapons
each, which gives you plenty of variety. The effectiveness of each
players' attacks depends on your skill and how you plan your assaults. For
the most part, the game plays like a standard shooting game, where you
shoot anything in your way while avoiding their attacks. There are
standard foes that attack as well as elaborate boss battles at the end of
each stage. As is the case in most modern shooters, the enemies and bosses
come at you in massive waves, where the bullets fill the screen. The
objective is find a safe place within these patterns and find the hidden
weaknesses that are revealed. You can use your standard shots and bomb
attacks at any point in the game. These can do a fairly good job in wiping
them out. However, you have a few special tricks up your sleeve that can
help you along, which help to keep the game interesting while allowing it
to stand out from the pack of shooting titles.

The
most important technique at your disposal is the Tension Bonus system,
which is indicated by a status bar at the top of the screen. Shooting
enemies at close range increases your power, and you can use to for a
number of purposes. The first of these is a score multiplier, which
increases your score up to 8X as you chain attacks. It changes constantly,
depending on your distance from enemies and your shooting connection.
Building up the Tension Attack bar can also be used to make additional
coins appear on the screen. The coins are tallied at the end of each
stage, and can increase in value as you collect them, however, you'll lose
them when your character takes damage, so you have to be careful. Of
course, these merely add points to your score, but chaining them together
means you can use High Tension Shots which increase damage and shoot more
rapidly than standard shots. Additionally, there is one mode where you can
become invincible for a short time, which allows you to inflict heavy
damage with impunity. Shikigami's Tension system gives the gameplay
mechanics a unique, strategic feel and helps keep the replay value high
while you try and beat your previous records. Add in multiple characters
and you have a title that offers plenty of variety in its attacks. Finding
the best player for you to use is a process of trial and error, but it
definitely adds some depth to the experience.

As with many modern shooters, players
should find the game's controls and mechanics smooth and responsive. Using
the standard Wiimote, a classic controller or an arcade stick offers an
intuitive experience that allows you to move around easily. The game plays
things conservatively, and you won't need to shake the controller around
to perform special moves. This is probably a bit disappointing in its lack
of vision, but its solidly produced otherwise. The game's button
configurations are very effective in their implementation and make easy
access to the different weapons and attacks. The gameplay itself flows
smoothly from level to level in a predictable, but satisfying manner. Its
overall intensity is surprisingly difficult and players will have a hard
time getting through the later stages if they aren't good. The boss
battles can be particularly intense and they put up quite a fight with you
as well. This isn't as easy as it sounds, but the good news is that you
can change a number of options in order to make things a bit easier.
Castle of Shikigami's options screen lets you choose from several levels
of difficutly, which affects the overall speed of the bullets, the number
of life regenerations you have and the game's overall difficulty. Players
can also use a practice mode to get good at individual stages, and learn
the patterns of each enemy attack. There's also a co-operative mode where
you can blast through the stages alongside a friend. Another unique mode
lets you switch characters during the gameplay itself for Dramatic Battles
that add more strategy to the game. Finally, players can choose to battle
it out against the end level guardians in Boss Attack mode, which is quite
challenging as well. These modes give the gameplay plenty of variety and
depth, though the lack of an online mode is somewhat disappointing these
days.

From
a presentation standpoint, the game looks fairly decent in its standard
mode, which squeezes the action into a narrow band at the center of the
screen. There are also vertical modes where the action takes place on the
full screen, but you need to turn your set sideways, which isn't ideal in
most situations. The graphics themselves look very sharp and the game
doesn't suffer much in the way of slowdown or hiccups, which is impressive
considering the sheer number of objects onscreen at one time. Its
traditional 2D play mechanics are punctuated by some impressive 3D
rendered backdrops which give the game a contemporary feel. Character
designs and the game's overall look is quite contemporary and stylish,
which makes for an aesthetically pleasing experience. Castle of
Shikigami's interesting characters each have a unique storyline that
unfolds between stages, each of which has interesting voice-overs and good
acting to help you get into things. Its musical score and sound effects
are nicely done as well and help to compliment the game's action
effectively. While this isn't the most elaborate or innovative title to
come across on the Wii, Castle of Shikigami III is an entertaining
throwback to a simpler era of gaming with a straightforward approach and
easy to learn gameplay that makes it solidly entertaining. It's unique
Tension Bonus system adds a new twist on its traditional play mechanics,
with its challenging gameplay, multiple play modes and solid production
making it a very good choice for those looking for straightforward
arcade-style shooting action.
- Michael Palisano